A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

A true psychological thriller with the emphasis on the psychology. Expect a bumpy and confusing ride.

The daughter of a serial killer of young women and teenagers grows up to become a psychologist. While outwardly she seems to have rebuilt her life after the disastrous upbringing, she relies on drugs and alcohol to help her cope. When similar deaths happen twenty years after her father has been imprisoned, all the memories of those traumatic times reoccur despite the coping mechanisms. 

From her perspective and told in the first person, the painful flashbacks show how everyone in her family (mother and brother) and victims' families deal with the fallout. The paranoia and suspicion is expressed well and makes a very tense read. The psychological aspects are chillingly good.

Despite the 'snaking' and 'flipping', this is an absorbing read exploring control, enabling and trauma. A little repetitive at times and the ending is drawn out, but this is a book I like very much - really my kind of thing. Recommended.

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Published by Harper Collins on 3 February 2022.
​Advance review copy supplied by the publisher.